Always on my mind Story 5
by AstridWinchester
Summary: <html><head></head>This story is No. 5 in the series "A Light in the Dark". You may wish to read the series introduction and the preceeding stories first. Summary: When Buffy gets infected by demon blood and develops telepathy, what will she hear in Dean's mind about her</html>
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is No. 5 in the series "A Light in the Dark". You may wish to read the series introduction and the preceding stories first. I own nothing**

**Chapter 1: Back where I started from**

Buffy looked at the wall clock impatiently and tapped her pencil on her test book. She was anxious for school to end for the day so she could get home and prepare for Dean and Sam's arrival. Dean had called her two nights ago saying they were headed back that way for some time off of hunting and she couldn't wait to see them again. Things had been a lot better between them this last time he'd left that she was hoping that they'd be able to hang out without any fights or angst. She had made plans to meet Willow and Xander at the Bronze that night to chill and figured she could talk the guys into going.

Finally the bell rang and the students collected their things while Buffy hurried into the hallway and to her locker to get outside and home. She passed a few teachers and students who smiled at her but she paid no attention to them, her mind was on the imminent arrival of Dean and Sam.

When Buffy stepped off the curb and toward the sidewalk, she spied a familiar car and an even more familiar figure leaning on it. Two of them in fact, she saw as she shaded her eyes from the sun's glare. She felt a wide grin break across her face and sped up her pace as she went toward them.

Dean was sitting on the car's hood while Sam leaned next to him, the Impala's stereo blasting music as they talked and laughed while they waited for Buffy. They saw her walking toward them and Sam straightened with a grin. Dean watched her as she came toward them, assessing her for any change or sign of injury since he'd last laid eyes on her. Like always, all the tension he'd been feeling since leaving started to drain away at the sight of her welcoming and happy smile.

Buffy set her books and her bag down and Sam grabbed her in a hug while Dean observed, waiting for his turn. She laughed as she hugged him back and Sam released her and she walked up to Dean. He slid off the hood and grabbed her waist to pull her close, enveloping her in a hug. He breathed in the scent of vanilla and smiled as he felt his heartbeat sky-rocket the way it always did when he was near her. He'd chickened out last time and still hadn't told her how he felt but he would soon. Really. He would.

Buffy pulled back a little and he closed the distance again with a searing kiss and she gave a little murmur in the back of her throat as she wound her arms around his neck. She heard Xander and Willow talking behind her as they came up to the trio but she tuned them out. She kissed him back with equal force and affection and heard Xander drawl, "Geez, get a room already."

Buffy laughed as Dean flipped Xander off but reluctantly the two broke the kiss. She turned in his arms and leaned back against his chest and Dean wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. Sam and Willow fell into a conversation about books and such while Xander looked at Dean and Buffy.

"So, are we Bronzing tonight?" He asked and Buffy turned to pout at Dean who gave a resigned sigh.

"I was kind of hoping we could have our own little homecoming party," Dean whispered in her ear as he kissed just below her neck and Buffy shivered in response.

"I know and we will, but I thought we could go to the Bronze and dance and stuff. You can even hustle pool since you're not great at the dancing thing." Buffy persuaded and Dean thought it over while he lightly scratched her belly. She felt his hands inching up her blouse and giggled as she caught them both and returned them to her waist.

She turned her head again to give him a mock-stern look and he caught her mouth in another kiss and Buffy forgot about everything else but him. She heard Xander start gagging but ignored him and continued kissing Dean. Sam and Willow rolled their eyes at each other but they were both smiling. They were happy to see the pair actually getting along and not fighting that they didn't mind the public display of affection.

"Dean, honey stop." Buffy giggled as he kept kissing her, intent of ignoring everyone else in favor of kissing her senseless. "We'll meet you there, Xand." She told him as she kissed Dean one more time before taking his hand and pulling him to the car.

Dean groaned good-naturedly and slung an arm around her shoulders and his other around Sam's as he pulled his brother away from Willow. He gave Sammy a light shove toward the car and Sam stuck his tongue out at him before waving at Xander and Willow and climbing in the Impala.

Buffy watched Dean bend to pick up her books and wrapped her arms around his waist as he pressed a kiss to her temple. Sam reached into the front and unlocked Buffy's door and Dean opened it for her. Buffy kissed Dean and climbed in and he shut it behind her after depositing her books and her bag into her lap. He circled the car to the driver's side but when he pulled the handle his door wouldn't open.

Dean frowned at Sam in the back seat who made a face at him and at the giggling blond in the front and tried the handle again with no success. He went for the backseat's handle quicker than Sam could reach it and pulled open the door and unlocked his side. He pulled Sam out and dumped him on his ass on the sidewalk. Dean gave his brother a grin and got in, then started the car as Sam frowned and tried to get back in.

Dean waved at him and Buffy gave Sam an apologetic look before he peeled out, leaving his brother still standing on the sidewalk. Dean glanced back at Sam in the rear view mirror as his brother pushed his hair out of his eyes and watched the car drive away. Buffy turned in her seat and lightly punched Dean's arm.

"That was so mean!" She protested as she watched Sam sigh and start walking after them. "Turn around and go back." She told him and he ignored her and kept driving. "Come one Dean, it's hot out today; he'll get dehydrated before he gets halfway to my house."

"That's his problem then, the bitch. Shouldn't have locked me out." Dean told her and continued to her house. "Besides, if he gets dehydrated that easily than he needs to start drinking more water, a hunter's gotta be at the top of his game in any weather."

Dean gave her a grin as he pulled up at the curb of her house and she shook her head at him as he climbed out again. He went around to her side to open the door and she got out, and then leaned back against the closed door. He put his hands on her hips and leaned close for a kiss and chuckled when she made that little murmur again.

He slid one hand around to the small of her back and up to splay across her shoulder blades while reaching up to pull the band out of her hair. Her blond locks fell in a halo around her and he tangled a hand in the silky strands as he deepened the kiss. God, this was heaven, having her in his arms was so freaking amazing.

Buffy felt her knees start to get weak and pulled away to look at him, and he met her gaze with the same amount of heat in his. She sucked in her bottom lip and he followed the movement, and then tugged her close again for another kiss. Buffy placed her hands on his chest and he pulled away with a groan. He covered her hands with his own and she smiled at him then turned to lead him inside the empty house. Joyce was supposed to be getting in later that night but for the time being they were alone.

When they reached the porch Dean backed Buffy against the door, and she kissed him back with a slight wince as her head hit the door. He broke away to mutter an apology but she ignored it to trail kisses along his neck and he growled. He fumbled for the door knob and pushed it open while pulling her against him and he kicked it shut.

Buffy adjusted her hair and laid her head on his chest as she listened to his heart beat, then trailed her finger tips over the scars on his chest. They laid in silence as he watched the fan and she examined the scars on his tanned skin. She angled her head to look at him and he gave her a relaxed smile.

"Hi." He said softly and she giggled, then propped herself up on an elbow to look at him. He ran his hand over her bare back and through the ends of her hair.

"Hi?" She repeated and he shrugged.

"I'm kinda brain dead princess, hi was the only thing that came to mind." He smirked and she rolled her eyes before looking at her door. Sam would be returning soon and her mother right after that and she still needed to get ready to meet Willow and Xander at the Bronze. He reached a hand out and touched her jaw and she looked back at him. "We gotta get up now huh?" He asked with a wince.

When she nodded he sighed and pulled her close for one more kiss before releasing her so she could get up. He put his arms behind his head as he watched her collect her clothes from the floor and walk to her closet to pick out an outfit. He watched her rifle through her clothes and pull out a few outfits for his opinion. He either shook his head or nodded at what he liked and made idle comments about exactly how he'd like to remove them later just to see her blush and smirked when she did.

Dean watched as she dressed and she grabbed his own clothing when she tossed them at him with a smile. He heaved a put-upon sigh and stood to dress while she applied her makeup and did her hair. He caught her glancing at him as he dressed so he made sure to pull his clothes on slowly and gave her a cocky wink that made her blush again.

Satisfied, Buffy reached for her purse and the door knob and Dean followed her out of her room and down stairs just as the door opened and a sweating Sam entered. He scowled at Dean and Dean gave him a smirk.

Sam gave Buffy's cheek a swift kiss and pushed past his brother and up the stairs to the bathroom, muttering "Jerk" as he passed Dean.

"Bitch." Dean replied automatically and Buffy rolled her eyes and headed for the kitchen for a soda. "Hurry it up slow poke or we'll leave without you, again.

Sam grumbled obscenities at Dean as he shut the bathroom door and Buffy gave Dean an exasperated look as he came into the kitchen, his hands in his pockets. "Must you be so mean to him?" She asked and he scoffed.

"Of course I do, Big brother privilege and all that." He answered and ducked his head into the fridge to pull out the makings for a sandwich. Buffy sat on the stool and watched as he made a sandwich, telling her about their latest cases while they waited for Sam.

Buffy filled Dean in on the newest development with Faith involving the mayor and her alliance with him, as well as the upcoming ascension. Sam came back into the kitchen and heard them talking and leaned against the doorway as she went on about how Angel had posed as Angelus to fool Faith. Dean's struggled to keep his expression from clouding as he pictured Faith chaining Buffy up and at the mention of her ex. He still didn't like the leech.

He tried to blow it off when he felt Sam watching him for a reaction and went back to his sandwich. He pushed off the counter and led the way to the door, Buffy and Sam following with a shrug and shared look.

"Well now that we're all caught up, let's get this show on the road kiddies." Dean said and he held open the door for Buffy. He gave her an exaggerated bow and she giggled as she walked past him and to the car. Dean shoved Sam past him onto the porch and they started a mini-brawl on the lawn that was broken up by Buffy pulling Sam off Dean. She looked at them both and heaved a sigh. She brushed the grass off their clothes and they looked at her them each other, properly chastised.

"He started it!" They both said and Buffy fought the urge to laugh as they both glared at each other.

"Bitch," said Dean.

"Jerk," said Sam.

"Guys!" Buffy interjected and they both stopped scowling at each other to look at her. "The Bronze?"

Dean straightened his clothes and Sam shook the grass and leaves from his hair and they all climbed into the Impala to meet Xander and Willow. Things were back to normal, the way it should be, Buffy thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Demonic encounters**

Dean smiled at Willow and Xander as they entered the Bronze and joined them at a table. The place wasn't that busy and Dean didn't see any easy marks to hustle so he looked at Buffy.

"Let's go do a short patrol?" He suggested and she agreed with a nod. He took her hand and led her outside the Bronze and to the car. Once there he opened the door and she got in, and he went to the opposite side.

He drove toward one of the cemeteries and they got out, and Buffy watched as he popped the trunk and removed the cover to display the weapons. Buffy purred as she eyed the shiny toys with a silly grin but he gave her a level look and selected a crossbow, two stakes and a knife before closing it again. She pouted but he gave her a kiss that scrambled her brain enough to forget why she was sulking in the first place.

They walked through the silent graveyard until they heard a noise and Buffy shot him a look that said to stay down. He ignored her with a roll of his eyes and Buffy spotted three flesh colored demons and Dean fired a bolt at one of them.

Buffy hurled the dagger she always carried at one of the other two and they roared. The one Dean had hit took off in another direction and Dean yelled to Buffy to watch her back before following.

Buffy attacked the demons but when they didn't fall, she turned and ran onto a playground in the park, the sound of the demons footsteps behind her. She tripped on the edge of the swing set and fell, and one of the creatures loomed over her. She snap kicked its leg, knocking it into the pole of the swing set and she seized the moment to roll to her feet.

When it turned to face her again, enraged, she roundhouse kicked the demon in the face and it dropped to the ground.

She pulls out a knife. "You demons can't resist a run and stumble, can you?" she taunted and threw the knife at one of the creatures and it - caught it. The other one grabbed her from behind and she twisted out and chucked it into the swing set pole.

Both demons got up, one right in front of the other and faced off with her, the first ducked and the second threw her knife back at her and she easily caught it. The first demon rushed in to attack with a swift kick to the stomach and Buffy tossed it over her shoulder onto a picnic table. She jabbed straight down into its heart with the knife while the second demon ran off as the first grumbled and died.

Buffy yanked the knife back out and turned, her eyes sweeping around and catching the demon's hasty exit. She broke into a run, muttering to herself, "One down, one... gone."

She caught up to the demons and repeated the procedure, and she startled at the sound of Dean returning. She didn't even notice that her hand was covered in a green glowy substance as it faded into her skin. She didn't pay any attention to the demon at all, as it oozed green goo, bleeding.

"You okay?" He asked and checked her over and she nodded.

"Yep, I'm all kinds of good."

Dean cracked a smile and swept his gaze around to land on the bleeding demon, then frowned with distaste. "Gross bastards."

Buffy looked at the demon and nodded then thread her arm through his, and they resumed their patrol. When they didn't run into any more demons or vampires they turned and headed back to the Impala to return to the Bronze.

The band was playing an upbeat dance tune and Buffy latched onto Dean's hand and pulled him, protesting, onto the floor. People were dancing and twirling to the vaguely country tune and Buffy moved her body from side to side while Dean tried to back away inconspicuously. Spotting his attempt to retreat, Buffy yanked on his hand and started to shimmy against him and he shot Willow and Sam a pleading look but they just watched with smiles.

**_'Well throw me under the train,_**  
><strong><em>Tie me down to the track,<em>**  
><strong><em>Let them big ole' wheels roll right over my back,<em>**  
><strong><em>I'll have a smile on my face<em>**  
><strong><em>all the way to the promise land.<em>**

**_Well toss me out of the plane,_**  
><strong><em>watch me fall to the ground,<em>**  
><strong><em>no I don't care<em>**  
><strong><em>if my body ever gets found,<em>**  
><strong><em>the way you're lovin' me baby,<em>**  
><strong><em>I can die a happy man.<em>**

**_Now that I've tasted all your squeezin' and a touchin'_**  
><strong><em>baby there ain't nothing I'd miss.<em>**  
><strong><em>There ain't no reason now for me to go on living<em>**  
><strong><em>only heaven could be better than this.<em>**

**_So stuff me into a barrel,_**  
><strong><em>lock some chains on my hands,<em>**  
><strong><em>take me down to the river<em>**  
><strong><em>and send me over the dam,<em>**  
><strong><em>the way you're lovin' me baby,<em>**  
><strong><em>I can die a happy man.<em>**  
><strong><em>"Yes I can"<em>**

**_Now that I've had a little shot of your affection_**  
><strong><em>I can't imagine nothing I'd miss.<em>**  
><strong><em>There ain't no reason now for me to go on living<em>**  
><strong><em>only heaven could be better than this.<em>**

**_So throw me under the train,_**  
><strong><em>tie me down to the track,<em>**  
><strong><em>let them big ole' wheels roll right over my back,<em>**  
><strong><em>the way you're lovin' me baby,<em>**  
><strong><em>I can die a happy man.<em>**

**_Oh, yeah,_**  
><strong><em>The way you're lovin' me baby,<em>**  
><strong><em>I can die a happy man.'<em>**

As the song ended Buffy turned to face Dean to see that he was smiling faintly at her and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She continued to sway as the next song played until she felt him stiffen slightly and she looked at him with concern.

"Dead boy's here." He stated simply, his jaw clenched as he looked just past her and she turned to see that he was right. Angel stood in a dark part of the club, watching them with a scowl. Buffy was torn for a moment until she felt Dean pull away and stride over to where Angel stood.

Buffy quickly moved to intercept him before they could come to blows and looked at Angel. "What's up Angel?" she asked and Angel ignored her to look at Dean.

"Go away, let the adults talk." He growled and Dean bristled.

"You know you're looking pretty pale there peaches, why don't you go work on your tan." Dean snarled back and Angel moved quicker than Buffy could to stand nose to nose with Dean. Dean didn't back down an inch, and the two glared at each other hatefully.

"Watch it boy," Angel warned and Dean smirked maddeningly.

"That a threat gramps?" He taunted and Angel scowled. "I'd love to help you meet the sharp end of a pointy stake."

"Who the hell are you?" Angel demanded. Dean was familiar but he was damned if he could place him. He vaguely remembered seeing him right before Buffy stabbed him and sent him to hell but that didn't explain why the guy was glaring at him or why he and Buffy were all over each other.

"Oh, that's right, you don't remember." Dean's smirk widened. "I'm the one who helped send your ass to Hell." His eyes glittered dangerously and Angel's brows furrowed. "I'm also the one who glued the pieces back together from your reign of terror."

"What do you mean you glued the pieces back together?" Angel demanded and Dean sent Buffy a luxurious glance then brought his eyes back to Angel's furious ones.

"You figure it out, Angel cake." He felt Buffy's hand on his shoulder as she roughly held him back from attacking and looked down to see that she had her other hand on Angel's chest, keeping him firmly in place when he'd moved to lunge at Dean.

"If we're done with the pissing contest," she said and they glared at each other some more over her head. "Maybe Angel can tell me what brings him here." She leveled Dean with a look and Angel glanced down at her and his expression softened.

Dean noticed and scoffed and wrenched his shoulder from her, then stalked back to the table. Buffy watched him go then glowered at Angel angrily and he staggered back a step. "You'd better have a damned good reason for interrupting my night out with Dean and my friends."

Angel looked back at Dean and to Buffy, his features contorted in disbelief, "You're with him now?" He asked and Buffy rolled her eyes.

"That's not any of your business so let's get back to why you're here." She evaded and he scowled but complied.

"I wanted to know if you've made any headway on the ascension." He asked and Buffy shook her head. "Right, I'll let you get back to your- boyfriend." He said and turned to leave and Buffy watched him then sighed.

She walked back to the table and Dean arched a brow at him but said nothing. She took the stool next to him and he slipped an arm around her waist and she tuned into her friends' conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Nowhere fast**

Willow and Buffy walked into the library the next morning, talking about the demons Buffy and Dean came across on their patrol.

"So, scabby demon got away?" Willow asked.

"Scabby demon number two got away, Dean killed the third and I got scabby demon number one, big check in the slay column." Buffy replied with a nod.

"I don't like this whole no mouth thing. It's disquieting." Willow added with a slight frown.

"Well, no mouth means no teeth." Buffy agreed, "Unless they have them somewhere else..." She mirrored Willow's frown as she let thought trail off.

They joined the main table where Xander and Oz already sat just as Giles came out of his office nearby.

"Here we go; we've been researching the, uh, mayor's forthcoming ascension." Giles announced to the girls.

"It's pretty riveting stuff," Oz supplied and Willow smiled at him.

"What do we know?" Buffy asked curtly and Xander scoffed.

"What don't we know? Tell her Giles," he said.

"Based upon the supposed date, graduation day, and the mayor being impervious to harm, I've cross referenced-," Giles answered, completely ignoring Xander.

"He's a cross-referencing fool," Xander confided in a stage whisper.

"And I've eliminated several possibilities. It's not the ritual flaying of the demon Azarath nor the, uh ... I don't know what's going to happen." Giles went on, undeterred.

"That was kind of an anti-climax," Oz commented dryly.

Buffy was dismayed. "We don't know anything? The whole fake Angel thing was for nothing?"

"No, no, no. If nothing else Angel's charade has brought Faith's treachery to the open and this information on the ascension will prove useful eventually, I just need to put it together." Giles was quick to reassure her.

Buffy scratched at her hand as Wesley entered; looking cheerful despite the dismal circumstances and that everyone present gave him various looks of annoyance.

"Terribly sorry, I was detained. Official counsel business. Mr. Giles, you were speaking?" He said and Giles cleared his throat.

"I was just filling Buffy in on my progress regarding the research on the ascension," Giles told him and Wesley smiled slightly in a condescending way.

"Oh, and what took up the rest of the minute?" He asked and Giles looked at him with an annoyed expression that matched the others.

"Touché. Of course, my work is un- official. I'm sure; however, with the resources of the council at your disposal, you will have something to add." Giles replied caustically.

"Well, I am pleased to state, with certainty, that the demon Azarath will not in any way be involved..." He started but the whole gang, minus Giles stood up and headed out of the library, leaving Wesley standing at the head of the table. "I'm sure we'll find out more soon."

"Demon Azarath?" Giles repeated.

Dean and Sam strolled down the hallway of Sunnydale High, Sam ducking his head to avoid anyone he knew. Dean didn't, in fact he openly smiled at the students milling about.

"Dean, we shouldn't be here, we're not students anymore." Sam protested in a low voice but Dean paid him no mind.

"Relax Sammy, we're just visiting. Buffy should be going to lunch soon," Dean replied and turned a corner. He almost smacked right into Principal Snyder who scowled at him as they both looked the other over.

"I know you, why aren't you in class?" He snarled and Sam opened his mouth to explain that they had discharged and were only visiting but Dean elbowed him hard to shut him up.

"I was on my way sir, just walking my brother to class." Dean replied, struggling to keep from smirking. Clearly Snyder had forgotten that they didn't go there anymore and who was he to argue?

"Hmph," Snyder grumped and nodded briskly. "Get a move on, the bell's about to ring and there's no loitering in the halls allowed." He strode off leaving Dean snickering softly and a gaping Sam.

Dean gave his brother a light shove in the direction of the library, and commented, "You heard the man, get a move on."

Sam frowned and they both walked into the library to see Giles talking to another guy, but they saw no sign of Buffy. Both adults turned when they entered and Sam smiled at Giles in greeting.

"Dean, Sam," Giles said and took off his glasses to clean them. "What are you boys doing here?"

"We got in last night, thought we'd join Buff for lunch. She around?" Dean asked and Sam glanced around.

"You just missed her; I think she went to her locker." Giles told him and Dean nodded. He turned to go but stopped when he heard the other guy speak.

"Does everyone know about her?" He asked exasperatedly and Dean gave the guy a once over then flicked his green gaze to Giles.

"Who's the stiff?" He asked bluntly and Giles fought a smile.

"Dean," Sam admonished.

"What? He's wound tighter than a dad on a hunt," Dean replied, not shifting his attention from the guy. "New Watcher?" He asked Giles who nodded.

"My name is Wesley Wyndam Pryce," The guy said as he walked closer to Dean, hand outstretched. "And you are?"

Dean looked from the guy's face to his hand then snorted in laughter. Sam rolled his eyes and accepted Wesley's hand. "I'm Sam Winchester and this is my brother Dean, we're friends of Buffy's."

"Winchester's you say?" Wesley perked up in recognition. "John Winchester's sons by any chance?"

"The same," Dean answered simply. "C'mon Sammy, before we run into the Snyd man again."

"Again?" Giles questioned.

Dean laughed and glanced at the other Watcher, "Yeah apparently he forgot that we don't go here anymore, told us to get to class.'No loitering in the halls allowed'." Dean repeated with a smirk and Giles laughed.

"Very well, I expect I'll see you later at the meeting?" Giles asked, knowing the answer already. Wherever Buffy was, Dean would be.

"Count on it." Dean confirmed and he walked out of the library, Sam on his heels.

Wesley watched them go for a moment, "They seem like nice boys, don't they?" He asked Giles but when he got no reply, he turned to find that Giles had gone back into his office, closing the door with a click.

Buffy and Willow stopped at Willow's locker before class and Buffy leaned back against the rows while Willow worked her combination.

"So what did Angel have to say last night at the Bronze? It looked pretty intense there between him and Dean." Willow commented as she opened her door and exchanged her books for other ones she needed.

"It kinda was. Seeing him bad, even pretend bad, and with Faith..." She trailed off again and Willow rushed to assure her.

"He only kissed her for the greater good."

"I don't know. To the naked eye it looked like fun. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe he wasn't even tempted. I just wish I could be sure." Buffy replied and shrugged. "He said he wanted to know if we made any progress on the ascension but I was more concerned with keeping him and Dean from coming to blows."

"As always, I advise you to ask." Willow suggested.

"Think he'd tell me?" She asked uncertainly as they heard another student yell someone's name. They both turned to see Percy walking toward Willow and Buffy with Hogan, who, like Percy wore a letterman's jacket. The student who yelled walked up to Hogan and shook his hand, "Great game man."

Xander joined Buffy and Willow at her locker, leaning against the lockers on Willow's other side.

"Hogan Martin thinks he's sooooo hot. Like we should all be awed by him 'cause he can put a ball in the net." Xander scoffed to the girls.

"Hey Xander," Hogan greeted and Xander grinned stupidly.

"He said my name! He knows my name!" He gushed and Buffy and Willow rolled their eyes.

"Hey Will," Hogan and Percy stopped in front of the Scooby Gang.

"Hi." She replied.

"Um, look, I can't make the study session after school. Ummmm, can we do it 5th period?" Percy asked as he adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder.

"Ok. Did you finish the reading?" She asked.

"Most of it." He said and she frowned at him disapprovingly.

"Percy," she scolded in her teacher-voice.

"I'll finish it at lunch," he promised quickly.

"That's my little trooper," she said brightly, all frown gone from her face.

"I don't know what you're doing to him. I actually heard him complete a sentence. It had a clause and everything." Hogan commented as Percy ducked his head in embarrassed acknowledgment.

"You're watching the game, right?" Percy asked and Willow nodded.

"Wouldn't miss it!" She replied.

"See ya Hogan." Xander said and the basketball guys left. Xander left too, heading down the hall the opposite way. Buffy and Willow walk together toward their classes which were at the same end of the school.

"You're going to the game? I didn't know you liked basketball." Buffy asked her friend.

"I didn't either. But I really started getting into it. Especially now that we're in the championship, it's so exciting. Too bad you're patrolling, we're all going. Oz, Xander, everybody." Willow turned and headed off to class.

"Great, everybody who isn't currently Buffy." Buffy muttered and spotted a familiar face walking toward her, arguing with another familiar person. She grinned happily at them both and they smiled back.

Remembering where she was, her grin was followed by a confused expression. Buffy scratched her hand again as Dean and Sam approached.

"Guys what are you doing here?" She asked and Sam sighed. She looked at Dean who was smirking and arched her eyebrow at him, prompting him to answer her question.

"We thought we'd spend lunch with you, that's all." Dean answered, too easily for Buffy's liking and the way Sam scoffed at Dean made her frown at him.

"Okay but what if Snyder sees you here? You're not exactly students anymore." She pressed and Dean's smirk got wider.

"Not according to him. We saw him back there," Dean gestured back the way they'd come. "He told us to get to class and not to loiter. Must've forgotten we withdrew."

Buffy shook her head and looked at them both warily. "Well I have lunch next period, why don't I meet you in the cafeteria?" She offered and they agreed.

As the bell rang, she hurried to her class and them to the cafeteria after exchanging brief hugs and a kiss in Dean and Buffy's case. She couldn't help but smile that they were still there and that everything that happened with Faith and Angel was suddenly wiped from her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I own nothing, anything in italics is thoughts**

**Chapter 4: Aspect of the demon**

Buffy walked into the cafeteria with Willow and looked around for Dean and Sam and spotted them over at a table toward the middle. Dean was leaning his chair on its back two legs while Sam read a book, his hair falling in his eyes. She filled her tray and set it down at their table and Dean peeked at her through one eye and smiled. Sam slipped his bookmark in between the page he was on and shut the book.

Willow sat beside Buffy and leaned over to look at what Sam was reading with an awed sound. "Ooh you're reading this? Giles has it in his library but he won't let me touch it."

"Actually I've read it already, I was just catching up on some facts I'd forgotten, and you can borrow it if you want?" Sam offered and Willow's eyes lit up.

"Freak." Dean muttered and Sam frowned at him. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Dean be nice," Buffy scolded but he just rolled his eyes.

"You!" said a voice and Dean jumped, knocking his chair over and falling to the floor. He looked up at a scowling Principal Snyder and a snickering Sam. Buffy was trying to keep a straight face and Willow had already started on the book.

"I thought I told you to get to class?" Snyder scowled as Dean stood and straightened his chair.

"You did." Dean said and straightened his jacket. "I am in class, you know, the one where they teach lunch."

"Are you being smart with me?" Snyder's scowl deepened.

"Would you notice if I was?" Dean replied and Buffy glared at Dean, trying to send him the mental message to shut up.

"I'll see you in detention mister." Snyder told him and strode away.

"Wouldn't bet on it rat man," Dean replied under his breath and sat down again. Buffy shook her head and went back to eating. Sam gaped at Dean in amazement.

"Did you seriously get a detention from a school you don't even go to?" He asked, unsure whether to be awed or annoyed.

"What can I say, I've got skills." Dean boasted with a smirk. Sam snorted and started talking to Willow about the book. Dean turned his attention to Buffy as she scratched her had again and he reached over and took it in his to inspect it. After seeing no bug bites or a rash, he released it.

"That's the second time I've seen you scratch your hand, you allergic to something?" He asked and Buffy looked down at her hand.

"No, not that I know of." She frowned and thought back to anything she'd done that might be irritating her skin. "I did touch that ugly demon last night, maybe something got on me?"

"Maybe, did you tell Giles?" He asked and she shook her head. He tapped his knuckles in a brief rhythm on the tabletop and got to his feet. "Let's go then, make sure it's nothing big."

Buffy grabbed her apple off her tray and brought her tray to the trash can, Dean right behind her after a quick explanation to Sam and Willow and they walked out of the cafeteria. She munched on her apple as they walked toward the cafeteria together, her unoccupied hand in his.

Buffy gave Giles a rundown of the demons she and Dean had fought the night before and Dean was immediately approached by Wesley. Wesley started asking Dean about hunting and some of the ghosts and demons they'd fought while Giles went to go look in one of his books.

"You touched one of the demons?" Giles asked and Buffy nodded, examining her hand under a magnifying lamp. Giles looked over at Dean, "Did you touch one as well?"

"Nope." He replied and turned back to Wesley, but kept one eye on Buffy.

"A good touch, not a bad touch. Anyway, it's been itching like crazy." She explained and switched off the lamp, swinging it aside again. "No big, just another problem for the good people at Lubriderm, right?"

Just then, Giles found a picture of the demon and he set the book down in front of Buffy and Dean came closer to look at the picture. "That's the demon in question?" Giles asked them and they nodded confirmation.

"In the disgusting flesh," Buffy agreed.

"Hmm..." Giles replied and picked the book back up and stepped away from her, reading it. Buffy glanced at Dean but he gave her his 'I-don't-know-don't-ask-me' looks.

"What?" She asked finally.

"It says they can infect the host," Giles replied distractedly.

"Infect? Infect?" Buffy cried and Dean's eyebrows rose as Wesley stopped speaking to try to look over Giles' shoulder, but Giles was still reading and didn't hear her.

"GILES! INFECT?" She yelped again louder and he looked up again.

"Oh um, 'infect the host with an aspect of the demon.' That's all it says." He quoted and Buffy blinked slowly, digesting his words.

"An aspect of the demon?" She repeated and grabbed the book from him, looking at it intently.

"It's rather terse isn't it?" Giles asked.

"You mean like a part of it?" Dean asked and Buffy looked back up at Giles for his reply.

"There could be any number of explanations for your hand. A new fabric softener can cause irritation. In any case, I would advise not to attempt to track the one that got away. Let's minimize your exposure." Giles placated gently.

"Part of the demon? I hope it's not the outside part." Buffy mused worriedly.

Cordy and some other cheerleaders were leading a rally for the basketball team while Dean, Sam and the rest of the gang sat on a bench off to the side, watching. Dean sat beside Buffy and Sam was standing next to them, while Willow and Oz sat together and Xander stood nearby.

"H. O. G. A. N. It's Hogan. G-o-o-o-o, Hogan!" The cheerleaders chanted and everyone clapped and cheered as Hogan stepped out.

"Is it me or is this really lame?" Buffy asked and Dean snickered.

"Right there with ya babe."

"I don't know. I usually enjoy lameness, and this is leaving me kinda cold." Oz commented.

Willow read aloud from the school newspaper, "Well, according to Freddy's latest editorial, 'the pep rally is a place for psuedo-prostitues to provoke men into a sexual frenzy which, when thwarted, results in pointless athletic competition.'"

"And the downside being?" Xander replied and returned Dean's high-five.

"The school paper is edging on depressing lately. You guys notice that?" Willow asked as she folded the paper and set it in her lap.

"I don't know. I always go straight to the obits." Oz answered. Willow noticed Buffy running her hand over her hair at the same time Dean did and he gave her a light kiss.

"What are you doing Buffy?"

"Nothing... Checking for horns." Buffy hopped off the bench away from them and Dean followed, Willow quickly getting up to go after her and they stopped to talk a short distance away from Sam, Oz and Xander who still watched the rally.

Dean wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist and she sighed but didn't pull away. "Ah, you know, Buffy, I don't even think Giles is right about you becoming like a demon. I mean he's totally burnt. You know, dealing with Faith and this ascension thing. Between you and me, he's not doing his best work." Willow tried to reassure her friend.

"What if he is right? I'm suddenly going to grow this demon part and we don't even know what it is. It could be claws or scales..."

Willow's expression turned shocked and Buffy stopped, "What?"

"Was it a boy demon?" Willow asked tentatively and Dean worked to keep his expression neutral while Buffy's eyes widened in horror.

"T. O. M. It's Tom. G-o-o-o-o Tom!" The cheerleaders went on, while everyone clapped and cheered some more.

"They really are very good!" Xander said to Oz as he, Sam and Oz watched the rest of the rally.

"Their spelling's improved." Oz agreed and Sam laughed.

"You know Oz, I look at all this beauty, all these healthy young woman and I wonder why I ever wasted my time on Cordelia. I mean, look at her. She's no better looking than the rest of them." Xander ranted as he gazed at Cordelia.

"None of them are really my-," Oz started but Xander interrupted.

"Oh my God, he's looking at her!" Xander glared Wesley who stood on the stairs, staring at Cordelia in awe. "He's got his filthy adult Pierce Brosney eyes all over my Cordy."

Wesley shook his head and continued up the stairs and away from the crowd while Oz looked at Xander pensively.

"You're a very complex man, aren't you?" He asked and Sam snorted in amusement.

"It's just I'm scared Will." Buffy went on to her friend and Dean took that as his queue to leave them to their chick-flick moment, walking back to the guys. "There's this thing in me and I can't find it. I can't stop it. What if it changes me? Not just the way I look. All of a sudden I could be something that's not me anymore."

"7. 8. P. E. R. C. Y. It's Percy. G-o-o-o Percy!" The cheerleaders continued their cheer and Willow looked away from Buffy and at the cheerleaders.

"Yeah, woo hoo! Sorry, they spelled Percy, and, and, I have to show support-he's needy. But I heard what you were saying, really. And I would be frightened too, but I'm sure you're gonna be okay." Willow said but Buffy wasn't that reassured.

Buffy looked over at Dean, Sam and the rest of the guys and sighed, running a hand through her hair once more.

Buffy walked down the sidewalk at night and she stops and pulled out her compact mirror, taking a look at her reflection. Dean and Sam had gone off after the rally to get a hotel room and to catch up on sleep so she was patrolling alone.

"Still got a mouth." She said softly and turned and startled when she saw Angel standing right behind her.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"It's okay. I didn't see you so I should have known you were there. What are you doing here?" She asked as she looked at him.

"It's a dangerous time. You know, with Faith." He replied evasively.

"Yeah...Faith. She...well... Faith, what can ya say about her?" She replied, a frown coming to her face at the thought of the rogue Slayer. They fell into step together.

"I just wanna make sure you're, you know, ok. That you're, safe." Angel said and glanced around. "Where's your um..."

She stopped and faced him, ignoring his question to ask her own. "And the fact that you're right here does that mean Faith's around? Are you keeping me safe by tracking me, or are you tracking her?"

"I'm tracking you. Something's bothering you." He commented and she sighed.

"A lot of things." They started walking again, "Dean went to get a room, catch up on sleep. He and Sam had a pretty nasty hunt recently and he said he was pretty beat."

Angel said nothing so she went on, "The most recent being this demon. Actually, three, I touched one of them and now I'm gonna get a big case of the bumpies, or a tail, or something."

"An aspect of the demon."

"You've heard of it?"

"By rumor. That doesn't mean anything. I mean, sometimes demons, they just exaggerate their power." Angel offered, and then frowned. "You said three, what about the other two?"

"I got two; Dean got the third," She said and went back to her present worry, "Demon hype. Maybe not. I spend all my time in the dark here anyway. It's not like I'd be at a gain you know with my friends where someone could see me and my new monster part." Angel grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him.

"Hey, I won't let anything happen to you if I can help it. No matter what, I'll always be with you. Hey, I'll love you even if you're covered with slime." He offered and Buffy smiled slightly, "I liked everything until that part."

The next morning Willow, Oz and Xander excitedly entered the lounge area at school, talking about the basketball game the night before.

"Could you believe it? Right at the buzzer. Three points for the win." They all sat down.

"It was intense." Oz stated from his spot beside Willow.

"Yeah, for a minute there I thought you're gonna make an expression." Xander told Oz.

"Well, I felt one coming on. I won't lie." Oz answered dryly.

"Man, I've never seen anyone jump like Hogan Martin. They should call him - the jumper." Willow gushed, her eyes glowing.

"Or a name that isn't an article of women's clothing. Hey, remember when-,"

"Shhh..." Willow shushed and Xander shut up as Buffy approached the group.

"Hmmm... quietness. We either lost, or we won and you don't want me to feel bad." She guessed brightly.

"Well, yeah it wasn't a really good game," Willow said in a flat tone of voice.

"Yeah tall hoops, with thin tall guys. What's the point?" Xander seconded and Cordelia walked up to get something off a table nearby.

"Pretty dull," Oz added.

"Are you guys' crazy? That was an incredible game! I've never cheered so hard in my life. I still have knee marks on my back." They all looked at her, thinking something completely different. "From the pyramid." She huffed and walked away again and they looked back at Buffy.

"Yeah, well, I still bet patrolling was way better cause, wow, important." Willow suggested.

"Well I thought I saw a four legged demon. But it was just a dog." Buffy replied with a shrug.

"A were-dog?" Oz asked.

"Regular." Buffy answered.

"Tough luck." Xander looked over at Cordy, who was talking with her friends. _I wonder if she and Wesley have kissed._

"It really bugs you huh?" Buffy asked him.

"What?" He looked back at her, confused.

"Cordelia and Wesley, smooching." She elaborated.

"Man, you read my mind." Xander replied and Buffy was stunned into silence as she realized what just happened.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Characters aren't mine, see Chapter 1 for disclaimer. Congratulations, you have now reached the fun part! Anything in Italics is thoughts, anything empathized is in bold.**

Buffy walked down the school hallway, in her own world, and she didn't notice when she bumped into a teacher.

"Oooh, whoa there. You watch where you're going now." The teacher, Mr. Beech said as he steadied her.

"I'm sorry Mr. Beech, I will." She replied with a polite smile.

_Students. If we could just get rid of all the students._ Mr. Beech thought as he walked away and Buffy stared after him then continued down the hall, eavesdropping on people's thoughts.

_When I'm a sophomore zillionaire and you're all flipping burgers. Who's the loser then..._

_Maybe I'll take French, I said. How hard can it be, French babies learn it. _

_I swear, someday my pants are gonna fall right off._

_Buffy is so beautiful._ Buffy stopped, giving a furtive glance at the guy.

_I mean, look at that body._ She raised her arm to shield a blush.

_God, I would love to shove her against that locker right now and just oooh._ Another guy thought and her eyes widened and she hurried past.

She almost bumped into another guy who looked at her. To avoid hearing his thought, Buffy broke into a run for the safety of the library to tell Giles what happened.

"Is this the thing? The aspect thing? Because I gotta say, if it is, it is way better than a tail. I mean, I have a hard enough time finding jeans that fit right." She asked him.

"Buffy, slow down. I'm not even convinced that this is genuine mind reading. You're most likely projecting your-," Giles began but she interrupted him.

"When I walked in a few minutes ago, you thought 'Look at her shoes. If a fashion magazine told her to, she'd wear cats strapped to her feet.'" She told him and he paused.

"I...um..." He said but she heard his next thought, _the demons are telepathic. I should have known. That's why they didn't need mouths._ Aloud he said, "Demons are telepathic!"

"I know, you just told me. That's why they don't need mouths. And you should have known." She repeated and he frowned slightly at her.

"This is astounding." He said.

"It was happening out in the hallway. Principal Snyder has Walk like an Egyptian stuck in his head. Not to mention that the boys at this school are seriously disturbed. It's weird, but Giles, think about it. Think about what I could do." She told him excitedly.

"It could be very useful. You could anticipate your opponent's every move. Turn his plans against him." Giles agreed and she grinned.

"Oh, way better than that."

"Jealousy!" Buffy exclaimed in answer to her literature teacher's discussion question. Willow was on her right, with Xander behind her. Nancy, annoying miss-know-it-all sat on Buffy's left.

"Buffy. Right. Very good." The teacher replied with a pleased smile as she walked around the room.

_I knew that._ Nancy thought and Buffy hid a smile.

"Jealousy clearly is the tool that Iago uses to undo Othello. But what's his motivation? What reason does Iago give for destroying his superior officer?" The teacher asked and looked around for a reply.

_Cassio has my place. Twix my sheets, he's done my office._ Nancy thought and Buffy sat forward in her seat.

"Well, he was passed over for promotion. Cassio was picked instead and people were saying that Othello slept with his wife." Buffy answered.

_Buffy did the reading? Buffy _**_understood_**_ the reading?_ Willow thought, looking at Buffy a little uncertainly.

_When did she study? Was I supposed to study? Ms. Murray's kinda hot._ Xander thought and Buffy rolled her eyes.

_I was gonna say Cassio. Ugh, I hate her._ Nancy thought and Buffy hid a pleased smile.

"Any other reason?" The teacher prompted.

"Race!" Nancy blurted out.

"Uh... good Nancy. Can't overlook that." The teacher replied, hesitating a little.

_Look at them, scrambling for the teacher's praise like pigeons for thrown bread crust._ Thought a guy seated on Willow's right and Buffy turned to glance at him.

"Will, who's that guy?" Buffy whispered to Willow who turned her head to see who she meant.

"That's Freddy Iverson. He writes those editorials for the school paper. He's sardonic." Willow whispered back.

_Bread crusts. That's deep. I should write that down._ He thought and jotted something down on his notebook. Buffy turned and looked back at the teacher, now at the front of the room.

"There's something else at work here." The teacher said.

"Well, he, um, he sort of admits himself that his motives are... spurious! He, um, he does things because he, he enjoys them. It's like he's not, he's not really a person. He's a, the dark half of Othello himself." Buffy suggested.

_Huh..._ Willow thought.

_Whoa!_ Xander echoed in his head.

The teacher stepped out from behind her desk and approached Buffy, "Buffy. Really. Very astute. I said something quite like that in my dissertation."

"I know. Uh, I mean... I agree. With that." She covered quickly.

"Yes, and doesn't that also explain Othello's readiness to believe Iago. Within seconds he turns on Desdemona." The teacher went on to the class and Buffy, "He believes that she's been unfaithful. And we're all like that. We all have our little internal Iagos that tell us our husbands or our girlfriends or whatever, don't really love us. But you never really see what's in someone's heart."

Angel walked toward his draped over doorway just as Buffy entered, opening the drapes. Angel brought up his arm, shielding him from the daylight.  
>"Oooh sorry. Sorry about the daytime. I just ducked out of school and that's when they have it." She apologized and they headed into the main room. "Um...you look good. I mean, I, I know I saw you last night, but sometimes things can change really quickly." They sat down on the couch and she half-turned to face him, studying him intently but she wasn't able to pick up any of his thoughts.<p>

"I mean really quick. Listen to me. I'm talking like Faith," She went on and his eyes snapped to hers, then he looked down again. "You know, not that she was so bad to have around... You know, before the evil... You know, I think she was hurting a lot. And some people, protective type people, might be drawn to that I guess... Well, the thing about Faith-,"

"You can't get into my mind." Angel told her quietly.

"How did you...why not?" She asked as her shoulders drooped a little in disappointment.

"It's like the mirror. The thoughts are there, but they create no reflection in you. You have the aspect of the demon." He answered and she nodded.

"Yeah, Giles doesn't know how long it's gonna last. It's OK, a little headachey, but..." Buffy shrugged.

"You don't have to play games with me Buffy. Ever." He assured her and she made a face.

"Well, you're not exactly Joe-here's-what-I'm-thinking." She answered.

"So ask me."

"Oh, but that would have made sense." She quipped and a ghost of a smile flashed across Angel's face.

"What do you wanna know about? Faith? How I felt kissing her, pretending to have no soul? Watching you suffer?" He prompted and she half-shrugged again.

"Well, since you bring it up..."

"I hated hurting you, more than I could stand." He answered seriously.

"Look, the thing about Faith, I'd understand. You know, she has, you know, that whole bad girl thing working for her." She rationalized.

"Kissing her meant nothing. I don't want a bad girl. I've done that before. I've lived a long time Buffy, and I'm past that. I've been with dozens of girls like her. More." He told her and she made another face.

"Oh this honesty stuff is funnn." She commented dryly.

"I mean, there's no comparison. In two-hundred-forty-three years, I've loved exactly one person." He told her and she went quiet.

"Ohh...it is me right?" She asked, but then frowned.

He caught her frown. "I did it again didn't I?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry but things with Dean...he's not like anyone else and the whole Faith thing kept bugging me when I was with him. Now that I got this nifty power, I thought I could solve that problem." She told him, fidgeting with her shirt hem.

"Well, now you know. Buffy, be careful with this gift. A lot of things that seem strong and good and powerful, they can be painful." He warned.

"Like say, immortality?" She joked flatly and he smiled.

"Exactly, I'm dying to get rid of that." He replied.

"Funny." She commented as an idea came to her.

"I'm a funny guy." He answered and she stood and started for the door.

"I've gotta run, mom's making dinner and everything." She told him and left quickly.

Dean and Sam drove over to Buffy's after lunch and they were greeted by Joyce, who smiled at them both warmly and ushered them inside. They allowed her to fuss over them and they talked about their travels (minus the demons they hunted) and she talked about her gallery. While they waited for Buffy to get out of school, Sam excused himself to the living room so he could read his book and Dean stayed in the kitchen with Joyce, finishing the sandwich she'd made him.

"Dean, Buffy mentioned you're good with cars?" Joyce asked and Dean nodded but didn't reply due to the mouthful of turkey sandwich he'd just taken. "My car was making a funny noise the other day, I wonder if you could take a look at it for me?"

"Yeah, sure Ms. Summers," Dean agreed once he'd swallowed the mouthful and took a sip of his soda. "Have you taken it to a shop yet?"

"No, I was hoping to get an idea of what might be wrong before I went and had it looked at, they tend to charge a lot for things you don't really need." Joyce answered and Dean nodded again in agreement.

"I'll check it out now while I'm waiting," he stated and she beamed at him.

"Thank you Dean, that's so nice of you." Joyce told him and he smiled back, "I'd be happy to pay you..." she started as she reached for her pocketbook.

"Don't worry about it, Ms. Summers." He told her, placing one hand on hers to stop her. "It's the least I can do to repay you for your hospitality and for inviting Sam and I for Christmas."

"Are you sure? I don't mind..." Joyce said again, and he firmly shook his head.

"I won't hear of it." He told her and set his plate in the sink. He shrugged off his coat and walked into the living room while Joyce started to wash the dishes.

Dean looked into the living room where Sam was reading and hung his jacket on the coat rack. "Hey I'm going to check out Joyce's car, you staying here?" He called to Sam and his brother gave him a distracted nod.

"Whatever you freak," He muttered and went outside to go look at Joyce's car. He found a flashlight and some tools and scooted under the car to check everything. Not long after he heard footsteps as someone came up to the edge of the car.

"Hey Sammy, hand me that socket wrench will you?" Dean called and held out one hand but the hand that handed him the tool was distinctly feminine. "Dude, did you get your nails done when I was asleep?" He snickered though he had a pretty good idea who it was.

"Very funny, Dean." Buffy sighed and he chuckled as he fiddled with something she couldn't see.

_Huh, she actually handed me the right tool, go figure._ She heard him think and made a face at him that he couldn't see from under the car. _Wait, she should be in school, it can't be after 3 already._

"School let out early, some kinda assembly, I decided to ditch," She told him and sat on a toolbox.

"Cool," He answered and scooted out from under the car, he wiped his arm on his forehead, leaving a smear of dirt in its wake. He got to his feet and circled the car to open the hood and Buffy followed. _Hmm maybe it's the carburetor, _he thought as he leaned forward.

"So any sign of the demon aspect yet?" He asked and glanced over at her. _I bet she'd look cute with horns._ He thought and she shook her head no, hiding a smile.

"No, Giles and the gang are on research duty, he'll call if they find something." She told him and swung her crossed ankles lightly. "What if I grow a tail or another eye or something? Would you still love me?" She asked with an innocent smile.

Dean froze. _Crap, did she just say that? Crap, crap, crap she's waiting for an answer! What do I say? Should I tell her that I've loved her since I saw her in the hall? Yeah Buffy, I'll still love you even if you grow four eyes and a tail. Smooth Dean, real smooth._ He panicked and Buffy was grateful he didn't catch the way her eyes widened in surprise.

"Never said I loved you, but, tail or not, you'll still be you." He said finally and she ducked her head to hide her blush. _Coward._

"Aw that's sweet." She answered and he rolled his eyes but she felt the flash of uncertainty in him. "So why don't we go out to dinner tonight? We never really go out on dates." She asked and he hesitated for another moment but covered it by disappearing behind the hood. She couldn't see what he was doing though, but heard him thinking.

_The belt's loose, that might have been what's making the noise Joyce heard, I'll let her know, but everything looks good otherwise. Ah shit, she asked a question. What did she ask?_ He thought and shut the hood to look at her, the smudge of dirt still on his forehead as he wiped his hands and collected the tools. "What'd you say? I couldn't hear you under the hood."

"You and me, dinner, maybe a movie, tonight? We always get side-tracked by demons and never get a chance to spend 'us' time." She answered as he came closer with the tools and jerked his thumb for her to get up. She got off the toolbox and he replaced the tools where they belonged and leaned against it when he'd finished.

_I haven't taken her out on a date have I? Damn I'm an idiot, she's a girl, and she likes that kind of thing. God, I suck at the romance crap._ He thought and she smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. Let me go talk to your mom and get changed then we'll go." He told her and she nodded.

"It's a date!" She said with a grin and she gently took the rag from his hands to wipe the dirt from his forehead, bringing them less than an inch from each other. His eyes bored into hers and she found that she couldn't look away.

_God, she's beautiful, I'm one lucky bastard._ He thought and he reached out to cradle her chin gently, brushing a kiss across her lips. Buffy let out a quiet sigh and he smiled and kissed her again. _One of these days I'll tell her..._ He thought and he took her hand in his and they walked inside together.

Once they walked inside Sam met them at the door, and he smiled at Buffy but looked at Dean. "Dad just called, he needs us in L.A. like now." Sam told him and Dean groaned.

"Shit, alright get in the car; I'll be there in a second." He told Sam and Buffy sulked a little. Dean turned to her and lifted her chin with one finger to look into her eyes, his own reflecting the disappointment she felt.

"I gotta go, but we'll be back in a day or two and you and I will go on that date. I'll make it up to you, I promise." He told her and she gave him a pout. "Aw princess, you know I can't leave with you doing that," he told her with a soft chuckle and he pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist comfortably.

"Then don't go," she said but she knew he had no choice. He pressed soft kisses on her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

"We both know I have to." He answered but she heard the reluctance in his voice. _Any other time I don't mind being a hunter, but whenever I'm around her I wish I was anybody else._ He thought and she felt her heart melt a little. He pressed another kiss to her forehead and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I'll be back soon and I promise that I'll give you the best date ever." He promised and she nodded, knowing he meant it. "Tell your mom that the belt on her car is slipping and she can get it at the auto shop. Tell her to mention the name Tony Morgan and she'll get a good deal." He told her, playing with the strands of her hair.

"Tony Morgan?" She asked and he smirked. "Is that an alias?"_ Oh come on, that's a normal sounding one. At least it's not Eddie Van Halen or something._ He thought and she fought a giggle. "Hey don't pick on the name." He tugged on a strand of hair and she yelped.

"Okay I'll tell her." She said in defeat and he smirked in triumph. He caught her mouth in another soft, sweet kiss before releasing her. She watched him grab his jacket and open the door, and she stepped out onto the porch to watch him go.

Dean waved and started down the steps and across the yard but stopped at the open driver's side to look back at her. _One day I'm going to marry her. I just have to tell her I love her first...easy as pie…I'm in so much trouble._

She heard his thought distantly since they were several feet away from each other and she felt her knees get weak as she watched him get in and start the ignition. He peeled away without another thought or backwards glance and Buffy shakily sat on the steps of her porch, replaying what she'd heard in his head.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Thought overload**

The next morning the gang convened in the library, Willow, Oz, Xander, Cordelia, Buffy, Giles and Wesley gathered around the table.

"She can read our minds? Our every impulse and fantasy?" Xander asked, stunned.

"Every one." She confirmed. _'Oh god._' Xander panicked in his head.

"I don't see what this has to do with me." Cordelia said at the same time she thought it and Buffy smiled.

"Sam and Dean left already?" Giles asked her and she nodded, her smile slipping a moment.

"Yep, said he'd be back today or tomorrow." She told him.

"Well, I think it's great. Right? I mean, you enjoy your other slayer powers." Willow added.

"Yeah, and it'll be fun. Did you see Nancy Doyle's face in English Class yesterday?" Buffy asked her with a pleased grin.

"Yeah, she's super-competitive, and you really showed her." Willow agreed but then thought, '_She's hardly even human anymore. How can I be her friend now? She doesn't need me.'_

"No! I do need you." Buffy told her with alarm.

"Ok, what are you talking about? Because you are sooooo creepy right now." Cordelia asked, looking between them.

"Um...I think there must be some precedence for occurrences such as this. Uh, I'll research it. Wesley, can you give me a hand?" Giles commented, thinking.

"Of course. Where do you think we should start?" Wesley asked him.

_'I am my thoughts. If they exist in her, Buffy contains everything that is me and she becomes me. I cease to exist.'_ Oz thought, then said "Hmm..."

_'What am I gonna do? I think about sex all the time! Sex! Help! 4 times 5 is thirty. 5 times 6 is 32. Naked girls. Naked Women! Naked Buffy! Oh stop me!'_ Xander panicked, glancing at Buffy and then away.

"God Xander! Is that all you think about?" She gaped at him.

"Actually... bye." Xander bolted from the table and out the doors.

"Xander has just illustrated something. Chances are you're all going to be thinking whatever you least want Buffy to hear. It's a question, of course, of mental discipline." Wesley commented.

"He's right. There are..." Giles seconded but Wesley's thoughts caught Buffy's attention. _'Look at Cordelia. No! Don't look at Cordelia! She's a student! Oh I am a bad man. I'm a bad, bad man!_'

With an amused smile, Buffy sat forward and gazed at him intently and he reddened when he noticed her attention. "Excuse me." Wesley walked away and into Giles' office.

"What's it like Buffy?" Willow asked her, still looking a little uncertain.

"I don't know. It's a little weird. Please, don't for a second think that I don't need you, because I do. I want to share this with you. It's like all these doors are opening to all these little worlds, and I can just walk right inside." Buffy tried to explain, hating the way Willow watched her, as if she was dangerous or scary.

_'No one else exists either. Buffy is all of us. We think. Therefore, she is.'_ Oz went on in his head and Willow glanced at him when Buffy did.

_'She knows so much. She knows what Oz is thinking. I never know that. Before long, she'll know him better than I do._' Willow thought worriedly.

"No, don't think that." Buffy tried to assure her. She wanted to share what she'd heard in Dean's thoughts but she still wanted to keep them in that private part of her heart.

"I can't help it Buffy. I'm sorry, I just can't." Willow got up and ran from the library.

"If you don't need me, I'm gonna follow the red-head." Oz said and followed Willow out. "Guess I won't be writing that book, 'Gaining Friends through Telepathy.'" Buffy commented to Giles and Cordelia but Cordelia just rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Can I go?" She asked at the same time she thought it again.

Wesley poked his head out of the office to address Giles and Buffy. "Excuse me. Can you hear me thinking in here? I could go out into the hall."

"You know what? You stay. I'm getting a headache. I'll go." Buffy told him, suddenly anxious to leave. She grabbed her stuff and exited the library after Cordelia; Giles watched her go with concern.

Buffy walked along the hallway, her head down and tried to tune out the voices she was picking up like a satellite.

_'She is so hot!'_

_'I hate my body. No one is ever gonna love me. What if I never get breasts?'_

_'I can't believe the test is today.'_

_'He has the cutest butt._'

As Buffy passed Nancy, she caught her thought among the other students. _'Hmph, I hate her.'_

Back in the library, Giles set a book down in front of Wesley, "Here, It's happened before. A man in Ecuador, quite recently too."

"Can we contact him?" Wesley asked him, skimming the page.

"I'd say not. He can't communicate with anyone." Giles answered wearily.

"Dead?" Wesley asked, straightening to look at Giles.

"No, he's in complete isolation. The power - he can't shut it off." Giles told him flatly.

"So what do we do?" Wesley asked and Giles thought.

"I know someone who can help." Giles answered and reached for his phone, then dialed a number. "John Winchester, this is Rupert Giles, I'm afraid I need some help."

Once Giles explained the situation, John agreed to help, saying that Dean was already on his way back, having heard the conversation. Giles hung up still concerned for Buffy but the fact that Dean was on his way meant that she had someone to watch out for her, if he got there in time.

Buffy stood in the serving line in the cafeteria, Jonathon next to her as the cacophony of thoughts continued.

_'It's gotta get better. Please tell me it gets better. I hate school.'_

_'Am I normal?'_

"Are you through with the mashed potatoes?" Jonathon asked her and she looked at him. _'She doesn't even know I'm here. Look at everybody, none of this matters.'_

Buffy stepped away from him to walk further into the cafeteria, looking for a seat.

_'Come on! Come on!'_

_'She's a loser.'_

_'She has the sweetest face I've ever seen.'_

_'Oh my god, quiet down.'_

_'If I stand just in the right spot, I can probably see into the arm hole of her top._'

All the voices began to bleed into incomprehensible din as Buffy walked through the center of the cafeteria with her tray. Suddenly, there was complete silence until she picked up a single thought.

**_'This time tomorrow, I'll kill you all!'_**

Buffy froze on the spot, her tray slipped from her hands. It smashed on the floor and silverware clanked as it hit the floor. Everyone clapped and laughed as the thought voices came pouring back. She ran over and grabbed a student, looking into his face.

_'She's gone nuts.'_ The student thought and she released and turned to grab another girl walking by.

_'I hate being here.'_ She grabbed and looked at more people as the thoughts blared in her head, none of them the one she was trying to find. As she grabbed Jonathon he thought, '_She touched me._'

She turned away from him, looking around at all the students, but the thoughts ran in circles in her mind and she was unable to separate one from so many. She put her hands to her ears, trying to block them out until she couldn't take it anymore and let go of her ears and dropped to the floor unconscious.

Willow, Xander, Cordy, Giles and Oz looked down at Buffy, the trees in the background above them as she started to come to.

_'I think she's waking up now.'_

_'She's ok.'_

_'Oh thank god!'_

_'Her eyes are opening.'_

_'I'm cold.'_

"You alright?" Giles asked, moving to help her sit up.

"I told them not to move you. They probably severed your spinal cord." Cordelia told her and Xander and Giles both flashed an annoyed look.

"I'm ok." She assured them as she sat up shakily.

"Buffy..." Giles held onto her, frowning at her with concern.

"No really. I'm ok. Listen, there's a killer in the cafeteria." Buffy told them, remembering the single thought in the cafeteria.

"See, I've been saying for years that the lunch lady's gonna do us all in with that Mulligan Stew." Xander joked. Cordelia hit him on his arm, but he went on, "I mean, what the hell's a Mulligan?"

"Someone was thinking about it. They thought 'This time tomorrow, I'll kill you all.' I have to find them." Buffy said and Giles helped her to her feet where she swayed slightly.

"Well, did you, uh, recognize a voice?" Giles asked.

"No." She answered with a shake of her head.

"Was it a boy or girl?" Willow asked.

"I don't know. I mean, it was hardly human. It was full of so much anger and pain." Buffy started to walk away from them but stumbled when the cacophony of their thoughts intruded. Giles kept her from falling right as a car came up to the curb and shut off and she picked up a very familiar thought.

_'I go away for half a day and already she's in trouble, geez.'_ Dean thought as he came up to the group and saw Giles holding onto Buffy, steadying her.

"Buffy, count." Giles told her softly.

"No, I have to find them." She argued weakly.

"Yeah, I mean, who hasn't just idly thought about taking out the whole place with a semi-automatic?" Everyone stared at Xander and he gulped. "I said idly."

"I know the difference. He... she... whoever, they meant it. They're gonna do it." Buffy told him and turned to look at Dean. "You're here? I thought you had to go to L.A.?" She asked him, trying to focus.

"I did, Sam's still with Dad. He told me to turn around so I burned rubber to get here." He told her and glanced at the Impala.

_'She looks so tired.'_

_'How horrible.'_

_'I'm not getting any warmer.'_

_'I bet it was Hogan.'_

_'Who could it be?'_

_'Hope they haven't killed each other. God she doesn't look good. She needs to get out of here._'

"Shut up! Uh, I'm sorry. I, it's just, can you guys not think so loud? Or, so much..." Buffy pleaded, grabbing onto her head with a whimper and Dean took a step closer to her to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"It's okay, I'll take you home, and you shouldn't be here." Dean told her comfortingly and she leaned into his chest.

"Good idea, Buffy go with Dean and stay there, I'll come over the minute I have an antidote." Giles agreed and Willow, Xander and Oz nodded.

"Yeah, ok, wha- No! Look, I need you guys to go back to the cafeteria. Make a list of everyone who's there. We have to find the killer before lunch tomorrow." She told them, her voice rising in panic.

"We'll do it Buffy. A list of all the students." Willow assured her.

"Yeah. Nancy was there. She's scary. And, uh, oh teachers too. Mr. Beech, he thought something about getting rid of all the students." Buffy told her as Dean led her away and to the car, Giles on her other side.

"I can't shut it out Giles. It's like this invasion of my head. It's like there's these strangers walking around in there. It's just a... Look at this; I can't even be around people anymore. Not that they're really clamoring to be near me anyway. Even you." She confided in a low voice as her head buzzed with thoughts.

"I'm sorry Buffy. It's hard for all of us. Wesley and I are, are looking for a way to help." Giles told her and she heard the worry in his voice.

"I'll be okay right? I mean, even if you can't get rid of it?" She asked him as they reached the passenger side of the Impala.

"You'll be fine. I promise." Giles said as Dean helped in into the car and he stepped away so Dean could shut the door. _'If it doesn't go away she'll go insane.'_ Giles thought and Buffy stared, shocked at Giles' thoughts.

Dean got in on the other side and pulled away from the curb toward her house, leaving Giles watching from the grass. Buffy rested her head on the window and let out a breath as Dean drove through town, humming to himself.

**_'Dreams of war, dreams of liars, dreams of dragon's fire, and of things that will bite, yeah.'_**

"Are you humming?" She asked as she heard lyrics in his head and he glanced at her.

"Yeah, is it bothering you?" He asked, stopping long enough for her to catch the thought, _'What if she hears my thoughts about her? God what do I— shit!'_ He went back to humming before she could answer and she fell into silence, listening to him hum.

Oz, Willow, Cordy and Xander sat in the library at the table, Willow with the list in her hand.

"I think we have everyone that was in the cafeteria. I'll do some computer work. Match it against the FBI mass- murderer profiles. See if maybe we can rule some people out." Willow told them.

"I'm still having trouble with the fact that one of us is just gonna gun everybody down for no reason." Xander said.

"Yeah, because that never happens in American High Schools." Cordelia scoffed.

"It's bordering on trendy at this point." Oz commented.

"Besides which, Sunnydale High, center of evil and all that. Let's get to work. We have till lunch time tomorrow. We hope."

Once Dean got Buffy at home, he helped her upstairs into her room and into her bed and brushed a kiss upon her brow before quietly leaving to go fill Joyce in.

Joyce came back in after talking to Dean and he went downstairs to call his Dad and Sam, make sure they were ok. Joyce folded Buffy's blanket over motherly and smiled at her daughter. "There, you look better already." She said and Buffy smiled back.

"Thanks mom." Buffy watched as Joyce hurriedly retreated again into the hallway. "I'm, uh, I'm just going to get you another pillow." Joyce told her and then returned with the pillow a minute later.

"I really don't need one." Buffy said as Joyce set the pillow down and looked her over. "But you need another blanket." Joyce turned back to leave again.

"Uh, mom, I'm fine." Buffy told her and Joyce grabbed the blanket, then went back in. "How about, some soup? Chicken and stars?" Joyce set the blanket on the bed.

"Mom, please, just come sit with me." Buffy told her, a plea in her voice. Joyce fidgeted and stepped back from the bed.

"I've uh, I've got laundry." Joyce said and backed toward the door.

"Why are you...?" Buffy asked, and then bolted up in her bed to stare at her mother, "You had sex with Giles?" Joyce gasped and fumbled with the doorknob. "YOU HAD SEX WITH GILES?"

"It was the candy! We were teenagers!" Joyce cried out.

"On the hood of a police car?" Buffy went on, bordering on hysterical.

Joyce stopped just outside the room looking back at Buffy, "I'll be downstairs. You feel better." She hurried away and past Dean whose eyebrows were raised almost to his hairline as she pushed past him and down stairs.

"TWICE?" Buffy shrieked after her and Dean came in to look at her, his trademark smirk on his face.

"That sly dog!" He chuckled and Buffy threw her pillow at him.

"Out!" She yelled and he laughed but caught the pillow. He ignored her request and sat in her wicker chair, sprawling comfortably with the pillow.

"Nah, I think I'll stay." He told her and stuffed the pillow behind her head and she fell back against her pillow. He went back to humming and she drifted off to a restless sleep as she listened to the words of the song he was humming.

When she started to thrash, he stood and went over to lie next to her and she curled up to him, her head on his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head and went from humming to singing, his voice soft and smooth.

"My faith is real  
>And my hope is true.<br>Some kinda feelin'  
>That I share with you.<br>I'm gonna keep on believin'  
>Anyway that I can.<p>

And all I wanna do is hold on to the memory of you.  
>And all I wanna do is talk to that someone I knew.<p>

Straight from my heart tangled in blues  
>I tell myself I'm not missin' you,<br>When as long that it's over  
>I'll still think of you.<br>I'll think of you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The edge of sanity**

Back in the library, Oz, Xander and Cordy stood at the counter in the library while Willow was behind the counter.

"Okay, I've taken our list and narrowed it down to a dozen strong suspects. Here are your personalized assignments." She told them as began handing out worksheets.

"Ooo, I was hoping there'd be assignments." Xander commented sarcastically as he accepted his.

"I should work with Wesley." Cordelia suggested and Xander looked at her.

"You have no shame."

"Oh please, like shame has something to be proud of." Cordelia scoffed and Xander shook his head at her.

"Be quiet!" Willow snapped and off their look she said, "Sorry, but, but this is important. Talk to everyone on your list. And use the sample questions." They looked over the sheets as Willow eyed them. "Today people!" They exited the library, off on their separate missions. "Oh! Write neatly. And, and label your worksheets." She called out to them as they left.

A little later, Willow sat with Jonathon, "Fantasy's are fun, aren't they Jonathan?"

"Uh... I guess," He answered uncertainly.

"We all have fantasies that we're powerful, more respected. Where people pay attention to us." She went on coyly.

"Uh... maybe," Jonathon agreed, watching her.

"But sometimes the fantasy isn't enough, is it Jonathan? Sometimes we have to make it so people don't ignore us. Make them pay attention. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" She asked meeting and holding his eyes.

"Em, you... Want me to pay attention?" He offered and Willow looked a little flustered.

Meanwhile, Oz was talking to Hogan outside at the basketball hoop and he watched as Hogan sank a basket.

"This is for the yearbook?" Hogan asked him.

"Yeah. Personality profile." Oz agreed.

"Can you ask it again?"

"Sure. Do you ever feel that you've created a false persona for yourself, 'the guy who does everything right,' - and how much of a strain does it put on you to maintain it?" Oz read aloud and Hogan stopped to think about it.

"Uh, wow, I guess... Moderate strain. Is that a good answer? I want to get this right." Hogan answered finally.

"Yeah, that's good." Oz told him and watched as he sank more baskets.

Cordy walked up to Mr. Beech in his classroom as he erased the board. "Hi Mr. Beech! I was just wondering if you were planning on killing a bunch of people tomorrow." She smiled brightly at him. "Oh, it's for the yearbook!"

Xander was talking to three cute girls sitting on the stairway, "Okay, so turnoff's include smoking, insensitive men, and Birkenstock. Now, your idea of a perfect evening? Katie, let's start with you."

Oz pushed open the school yearbook/school paper office and called out, "Uh, Freddy?" As he stepped inside, he looked at the wall which had framed front pages of the Sunnydale High Sentinel. Oz looked across the headlines, 'Teachers Fail Competency Exam', 'Drop-outs find Happiness' and 'Apathy on the Rise, No One Cares'. Oz turned and exited the room, finding no Freddy, who was hiding under the desk.

Once Buffy had drifted off to sleep, Dean had gently disentangled himself to go find Giles to see if he could help somehow. When she woke and found his note saying where he'd gone, she went over to stand at her bedroom window. It had gotten dark outside while she'd slept and as she looked out the open window, she was able to pick up more thoughts. The range on her power had grown as time passed.

_'I should have just quit, no job is worth it.'_

_'Look at him smiling, like he thinks I don't know about her. I'm going to tell him we're going to have a baby, Oh, I'm so happy!'_

_'I can't believe we're getting away with this. One more drink then I'll..._.'

Buffy closed the window and climbed into bed but the thoughts blended into one long, rambling, incoherent stream. Buffy curled up under the covers and pressed a pillow to her head, trying to get back to sleep.

Giles, Dean, and Wesley were researching at the library, Giles and Dean reading while Wesley mixed some ingredients.

"Well, it seems to be coming along all right." Wesley commented and Dean shot him a sharp look.

"Yes, Buffy's being driven mad, we have no proof that this is going to work, and it still requires the heart of the second demon, which we have no idea how to get without the slayer." Giles commented.

"Negative thinking doesn't solve problems." Wesley said and Dean got to his feet, murder in mind but Giles placed a hand on his arm, restraining him from attacking the other Watcher. Dean scowled and went back to his book, his hand still on his dagger as he watched Wes through the corner of his eye.

"Who is going to get the demon heart?" Giles asked and Dean met his gaze with a feral smile.

The demon flew through the air, landing none-to-gently and smashing a picnic table. It hopped back up and Dean stepped in to throw a punch which it dodged. The demon hit back but Dean shrugged it off and threw one of his own. He stepped in to throw the creature up onto a second picnic table which didn't give like the first had. The demon got back to its feet as Dean leaped up onto the table. Dean delivered a solid punch that back-flipped the demon off the table.

Dean jumped down and they wrestled for a moment and Dean finally managed to twist the demon's arm and threw it into a jungle gym. He came in to finish it off, but the demon backhanded him, and he spun to the ground. As he shook off the blow, he looked up to see the demon trying to escape and he swiftly got up in pursuit.

The next morning, Buffy laid in her bed while Joyce sat, curled up with a blanket on the same chair Dean had sat in the night before in Buffy's room. Buffy slept fitfully, tossing and turning.

At school, Willow talked to Nancy in an empty classroom, "Do I often imagine classmates are spying on me, or otherwise acting suspiciously?" Nancy repeated Willow's question.

"Right." Willow nodded.

"Not until just now." Nancy answered, eyeing Willow uncertainly.

Xander sat at a table by the soda machine with Larry, who was eating lunch.

"What? Talk louder dude." Larry asked him, raising his voice.

"I'm just saying, it's gotta be frustrating, having the secret. You gotta be kinda filling up with resentment, unexpressed rage, just waiting to burst out. Today at lunch...?" Xander asked again.

"What secret? Being gay? Man, I'm out! I'm so out I got my grandma fixing me up with guys." Larry replied in an overly loud voice.

"That's uh, nice." Xander commented, fidgeting a little.

"But it sounds like, uh, you're having a rough time with it." Larry said and Xander's eyes widened and he started to feel majorly uncomfortable.

"Look, just do it. That weird Freddy Iverson guy that does the school paper-," Larry said.

"He's gay?" Xander interrupted, surprised.

"No dude, but I bet he'd put in like a coming out announcement for you, something tasteful you know?" Larry said and Xander blanched.

Oz approached the newspaper office door and tried the knob but found that it was locked, so he knocked. "Freddy."

Inside the office, Freddy stopped at a corner behind him then turned and went the other way.

Cordy, Oz, Willow and Xander re-convened in the library, all basking in their failure. "He's the only one we couldn't find?" Willow asked Oz, who nodded.

"Freddy Iverson." Oz confirmed.

"The newspaper guy? But we can't figure out if it's him without the worksheet, right?" Cordelia asked.

"We do have this people. Today's editorial titled 'Big Game Draws Mindless Brain Dead Mob.'" Xander read, holding up the newspaper next to him.

"Does he mention the cheerleaders? Because we were on." Cordelia preened.

Buffy tossed and turned in her bed while Giles and Joyce stood in the doorway to Buffy's room, talking quietly.

"I can't stand this. I keep wondering if I'm hurting her with my thoughts." Joyce told him in a hushed voice, watching Buffy with a worried expression.

"You're not. Not anymore. She can't pick one thought out of the... out of the din." Giles assured her, just as concerned.

Just then the door downstairs was thrown open and they turned as Wesley beats them to door below. He hastily stepped out of Dean's way as he entered, holding a vial of glowing blue liquid. "I got it."

He told them and they hurried upstairs to Buffy's room. Dean set the potion down and sat on her bed, pulling a dazed Buffy into his arms.

"Uh, no." She murmured, confused.

"C'mon Buffy, I'm gonna help you, open up." He grabbed the potion and fed it to her when she obeyed. She struggled but Dean's hold wouldn't give so she gulped some of it down. He set the potion aside again and laid her back on the pillow, brushing away the strands of her hair, watching her intently. She lay still for a moment, seemingly better and he kissed her forehead.

She started to freak, thrashing and kicking, not knowing what she was doing and Dean tried to hold her still, "Giles, I need help in here!"

Back in the Sunnydale High Quad, Jonathan crouched down and opened a steel case in the clock tower, revealing the disassembled parts of a high powered rifle. He grabbed one of the pieces.

In Buffy's bedroom, Dean knelt at her bedside, her hand clasped in his. Her eyes opened slowly and she turned her head to look at him. "Dean."

Buffy's mother sat down on the bed and Giles and Wesley stood in the room just behind her.

"Thank god! Are you all right? Do you hear thoughts?" Joyce asked as Dean gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand tightly.

"No. Did you find the killer?" Buffy asked, looking over at Giles and Wesley. When they shook their heads, Dean helped her stand and down the stairs again. He drove back to Sunnydale High as quickly as he could while still obeying the speed limit. Buffy grew anxious as they got closer and she felt Dean reach for her hand once more. She smiled at him and he smiled back, momentarily forgetting how close she'd come to losing her mind from the voices.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Saving the world...again**

Freddy sat at his desk in the newspaper office as Willow, Oz, and Cordy burst through the main door. Freddy bolted up out of his chair to make a run for the side door but Xander cut off by walking through that one.

"Ok Oz, you got me." Freddy said as he held up his hand defensively and sat back down. "What are your friends gonna do? Hold me down?"

"You better believe it buster! You can't threaten a big murder without getting us pretty darn ticked!" Willow glowered at him.

"Murder? What murder? You're not here about the review?" Freddy echoed, shining his confusion.

"Review?" Oz asked.

"Yeah, the one from last Thursday." Freddy leafed through a paper on his desk and handed it to Oz.

"'Dingoes Ate My Baby play their instruments as if they have plump polish sausages taped to their fingers.'" Oz read aloud.

"Sorry man." Freddy offered.

"No, it's fair." Oz said with a shrug as he set the paper back down.

"I just get a lot of hate mail and I thought you were gonna come and deliver some personally." Freddy explained, relaxing slightly.

"Hey, if you find any tasteful announcement about me from Larry-," Xander started but Willow interrupted.

"Xander, we have to figure this out."

"We have no shot, the killer could be anyone. We lose." Cordelia stated and they turned as Buffy and Dean entered behind the gang.

"We still have a few minutes." She told them.

"Buffy!" Willow greeted with a relieved look.

"You're okay? Can you hear thoughts?" Xander asked nervously, studying her. Buffy shook her head and flashed Dean a smile. "Just when I wasn't thinking about sex."

"Okay, here's the new plan: we're going to get Snyder to evacuate the school. I just hope the killer's not waiting outside." Buffy proposed.

"'By this time tomorrow, you'll all know what I've done. I'm sure you understand that I had to do it, and that although death is never easy, it's the only way.'" Cordelia read aloud from a discarded paper. "God! Doesn't anyone write in to praise the Cheerleaders! We are so unsung."

Willow ignored her and snatched the letter from Cordelia's grasp. "Jonathan! Oh, I had him in my grasp! That slippery little weasel."

"Split up, we need to find him." Buffy directed and they all nodded and separated to search for Jonathon.

Jonathan assembled the rifle in the clock tower. Oz opened a classroom door and looked quickly around but the room was empty.

Jonathan slid the bolt action into place.

Willow dashed into the library, "Jonathan! Are you in here?" When she received no reply, she turned and run back out.

Jonathan reached into the case and pulled out the front stock and barrel.

Xander ran into the cafeteria, calling for Jonathon and skidded to a halt in the center of the cafeteria, as something caught his eye. "Ooo, jello!"

Dean jogged through the hallways, his eyes scanning the students but not finding the one he was looking for.

Jonathan lifted the front stock and barrel up to the rest of the gun assembly.

Cordelia hurried into the student lounge and she grabbed one guy and looked at him. She moved over, grabbed another one and looked straight at him. Frustrated, she spun to leave.

Jonathan snapped the front stock and barrel into place.

Buffy ran into the Quad, searching among the groups of students. She stopped in the middle where she saw Larry, then Nancy. She turned and looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun. She spotted Jonathon in the clock tower holding the rifle and she charged forward. She reached the base of the stairs and hopped onto the railing and ran up it.

Students made noise at the spectacle and Nancy turned to see her, Buffy leapt up toward the roof, grabbing onto the edge. She swung herself forward in a ball, then back, up, and over she went into a back flip forward to land on her feet on the roof-tile.

"I could have done that," Nancy muttered.

Jonathan put a bullet in the chamber, not noticing that Buffy was moving as fast as her Slayer speed could take her across the roof. Jonathan slid the bolt home; the gun was ready to fire. Buffy smashed through a boarded up tower window behind him, landing in a crouch. He spun around, surprised, and pointed at her.

"Get away from me!" He yelled and Buffy slowly got to her feet, careful not to freak him into shooting.

"Ok Jonathan, you wanna point that somewhere else?" She asked her eyes on his instead of the gun and he angled the rifle slightly to the side.

"Don't you try and stop me!" He told her, his voice quaking.

Buffy raised her hands cautiously but took a step toward the window and he watched her, "No, no, no stopping. I'm just here for view. Hey, look, City Hall."

Jonathon was frazzled and sweating, "Go away!" He cried.

"Never gonna happen." She replied calmly.

"You think I won't use this?" He asked her, tilting the gun and Buffy looked at him. "I don't know Jonathan." Buffy took a step forward, "I just-,"

Jonathon lurched back from her, and then raised the gun straight at her again and she halted. "Stop doing that!"

"Doing what?" She asked, her voice level, her eyes on his.

"Stop saying my name like we're friends! We're not friends! You all think I'm an idiot, a short idiot!" Jonathon yelled at her.

"No, I don't, I don't think about you much at all in fact, nobody here really does. That bugs you, doesn't it? You have all this pain, and all these feelings and nobody's really paying attention." Buffy said and he flinched.

"You think I just want attention?" He asked her and she slowly shook her head.

"No, I think you're up in the clock tower with a high-powered rifle because you wanna blend in. Believe it or not, Jonathan, I understand about the pain." She told him softly, careful not to startle him.

"Oh right. The burden of being beautiful and athletic, that's a crippler." Jonathon said sarcastically.

"You know what? I was wrong, you are an idiot." Buffy snapped as her patience slipped. "My life happens to, on occasion, suck beyond the telling of it. Sometimes more than I can handle. And it's not just mine. Every single person down there is ignoring your pain because they're too busy with their own." She moved toward the window to look down at the Quad, she watched the student bustling and talking. "The beautiful ones, the popular ones. The guys that pick on you, everyone." She went on as she watched them all, and behind her Jonathon lowered the rifle, slowly moving up behind her to see what she saw. He stepped up right next to her.

"If you could hear what they were feeling: the loneliness, the confusion. It looks quiet down there. It's not. It's deafening." Buffy went on, and she half-turned to face him. "You know, I could've taken that by now."

"I know." He answered and she held out a hand.

"I'd rather do it this way." She said and he thought a moment, then handed her the rifle. She turned and pulled the bolt back; ejecting the bullet, then set the gun down and turned back to him.

"I just wanted it to stop." Jonathan said quietly.

"Yeah, well, mass-murder, not really doctor recommended for that type of pain. Besides, prison, you know, it's a lot like high school, only instead of noogies-,"

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan asked her with a confused expression.

"Actions having consequences, you know, stuff like that." Buffy said.

"I, I, I wouldn't ever hurt anybody." Jonathan told her with a baffled look and Buffy stared at him. "I came up here to kill myself."

Xander wandered back into the cafeteria kitchen where he saw a whole tray full of jello in little bowls. He grabbed one of them and pulled the red jello block out, lifting it to his mouth. As he did, he glanced up and stopped dead in his tracks.

The obese lunch lady stood over a cooking pot pouring in a big box labeled 'Rat Poison'. She met Xander's gaze in a Mexican stare off. Xander dropped the bowl and bolted for the exit. The lunch lady dropped the rat poison and grabbed a butcher's knife and Xander ran into the cafeteria.

"RAT POISON! RAT POISON!" He yelled, and then knocked over a table. Crazed, he turned and knocked over another one. He ran, knocking a bunch of trays off another table just as the lunch lady burst out from the kitchen doors. Xander tried to escape but tripped over a chair and fell to the floor. The lunch lady charged up and Xander shielded himself as she pulled back her arm. Buffy clamped her hand on the lunch lady's wrist, preventing her from swinging.

"Okay, let's calm down."

"Vermin! You're all vermin. You come in here and you eat, and you eat. Filth!" The lunch lady seethed.

"I don't see this being settled with logic," Buffy said and pulled the lunch lady forward by her arm, then twisted her wrist back, causing the butcher's knife to fly across the room, rebounding off a wall, and clattering to the ground. The lunch lady tried to swing at Buffy which Buffy easily ducked. Buffy double hooked the lunch lady, hitting both times and making the lunch lady lurch back.

Buffy finished her with a reverse roundhouse and the large woman flies across the room, knocking over tables and Dean, who'd heard the commotion. The lunch lady slumped, unconscious and Buffy turned to Xander, still terrified on the floor. She reached a hand out and pulled him to his feet as Dean got up and sidestepped the knocked out lunch lady.

The next morning, Willow and Buffy walked up the first set of steps together. "So you're feeling better about Dean?" Willow asked her.

"Well, we talked, and then he ripped out the heart of a demon and fed it to me, and then we talked some more." She replied with a smile.

"See! That's how it should work!" Willow said with a happy smile that reflected Buffy's. "Did he leave again or is he sticking around?" She asked and Buffy's expression changed to a dreamy one.

"He promised to take me out tonight on an actual date and god Wills, you won't believe what he thought about me!" Buffy gushed, her heart jumping in anticipation of the date with him later.

"What about Angel? Did you find out about him and Faith?" Willow asked.

"He said it meant nothing, which eased my mind. Now I don't have to worry about them and can focus on me and Dean." Buffy replied as Giles walked up to them.

"Morning." He smiled at them and they smiled back.

"Hi, Giles!" They chorused in unison.

"Oh! I should get to the yearbook office. I'm gonna give 'em the murderer profiles. They're really a good read." Willow said and hurried away, Buffy waved bye. "Call me tonight, I want to hear everything!" Willow called back to Buffy who nodded.

"Bye." Giles called to her.

"See ya!" Willow answered before she disappeared in the school. Buffy and Giles continued on together.

"How are you?" Giles asked her.

"Loving the quiet, nobody in here but me." Buffy chirped.

"And Jonathan? How's he?"

"Pretty crappy. His parents are freaking. He got suspended, toting a piece to school? Really not exactly winning him a place with the in-crowd. But, I think he's dealing." She answered and Giles nodded with a slight smile.

"Well, it's good of you to check on him."

"Well, it's nice to be able to help someone in a non-slaying capacity. Except, he's starting to get that look, you know, like he's gonna ask me to Prom." Buffy winced slightly and he gave her a lopsided paternal smile.

"Well, it would probably be good for his self-esteem, if you..." He began but she gasped at him.

"Oh come on! What am I, Saint Buffy? He's like three feet tall!" She protested.

"I'm glad to see you've recovered from your psychic encounter more or less intact. Feel up to some training?" Giles asked her.

"Sure. We can work out after school. You know, if you're not too busy having sex with my **mother!**" She said as she sped up her steps, making Giles walk right into a tree.

Buffy fidgeted in her room and went over to her closet mirror to check her outfit for the fifth time while she waited for the doorbell to ring which announced Dean's arrival. She'd opted for something casually dressy, a jade green top that brought out her eyes paired with jeans and her boots. Her hair was half up in a clip, the rest tumbling to her shoulders, and her choices of accessories were simple yet tasteful: her watch and a diamond drop necklace.

She smoothed her shirt and let out a shaky breath as she replayed Dean's thoughts in her head over and over. When the doorbell finally rang, her heart jumped into her throat and she smiled at her reflection. "Here we go," she whispered as she heard her mother greet Dean and call for her.

She grabbed her purse and slowly walked out of her room and down the stairs, her belly swarming with butterflies. Dean stood in the foyer below with a single red rose in his hand. He was dressed in jeans she recognized as his nice ones that he'd worn for Christmas and a maroon shirt that accentuated his build. He turned to watch her progress and his gaze traveled over her, and she watched as his smile grew.

When she reached the bottom stair he stared at her with a silly grin, his eyes burning with heat and she felt her hands start to shake with nerves. She linked them behind her back as she waited for him to say something, enjoying the fact that she'd made him go all nonverbal.

"You look…" He began in a hoarse voice and he stopped, unable to form an appropriate compliment that came close to describing her. "This is for you," He said and held out the rose and she smiled as she accepted it.

"Oh you guys look so wonderful!" Joyce cooed as she watched them. "Here Buffy, I'll put that in some water. You kids have fun!" Joyce took the rose from Buffy and went into the kitchen.

Buffy and Dean watched each other until he finally kicked his brain into gear and he stepped back to open the door again. "Come on." He told her and she walked outside onto the porch. She linked her arm with his and he escorted her to the Impala, and then opened the door and she climbed in. She watched him circle the car and get in on the driver's side and he sat there for a moment before reaching into his pocket for the keys, as if he'd forgotten what to do.

As he turned to back out of her driveway, his eyes caught on hers and he stared again, feeling his brain turn to mush. She smiled at him and he returned it before pulling onto the road and heading for the edge of town. She watched the cars and trees pass before she turned to him, "Where are we going?"

"We're just taking a drive, trust me okay?" He replied and she relaxed back in her seat as she listened to the radio. She felt him sneak quick glances at her as he drove but when they passed the Sunnydale sign she looked back at him. Before she could say anything he gave her a look, "Relax, enjoy the ride."

She did, allowing herself to zone out as they drove farther and farther from Sunnydale. When he turned off onto a dirt road she looked around but recognized nothing. He switched the Impala into idle a moment later, keeping the headlights and stereo on and got out. When he opened her door, she followed, looking confused. He took her hand in his and started off down a path.

They walked a short distance and she let out an awed sigh as she saw a lake before her. The lights from a nearby town reflected off the water and she could see small ripples from the fish as he guided her over to a small clearing. She stared at the water in utter amazement, so consumed by how beautiful it looked that she didn't notice the basket in Dean's hand or that he'd begun to spread a blanket on the ground. She walked closer to the water's edge as Dean worked in silence behind her with only the headlights of the Impala to illuminate him.

When she came back to earth she turned to see that Dean had made a small picnic on the blanket and she felt her throat catch. She watched as he crossed to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his chest against her back and she leaned back into him.

"It's beautiful," She said and he smiled in agreement.

"I wanted to take you somewhere special." He said and she angled her head to look at him. "Dad took Sammy and I here when we were kids, I must have been about 10 or 11. He was hunting something and he told Sam and I to set up camp and stay put." Dean told her, his voice soft as he reminisced and she listened.

"We started a fire and we just watched the water, talking. Sam used to ask me what I'd do if I wasn't a Hunter, I always said I'd be a mechanic," Dean smiled at the memory and she smiled too, imagining a younger Dean. "Sam wanted to be a lawyer, I think he still does." Dean said and he lapsed into silence, just watching the water and holding her.

"Can't you still do that?" She asked him, "Be a mechanic?"

"I don't know, there are too many things out there that hurt people, I don't know if I'll ever be able to be normal." Dean answered and tore his gaze away from the water to focus on her. "This place is sacred, no one knows about it but me, Sam and Dad."

Buffy's mind went completely blank as she realized what he was really telling her, that he was allowing her into that secret part of his past, into his heart. She tried to speak around whatever was lodged in her throat.

"Come on, I'm sure you're hungry." Dean pulled her gently over to the blanket and she sat across from him. She looked at the food that was spread out- a plate of sandwiches, two bottles of water, some watermelon, a bag of chips, and a covered plate of what she guessed was pie. She raised her gaze to him and he shrugged sheepishly at her, "I'm not very good at the romance thing."

She stopped his apology by leaning forward and kissing him, and he relaxed. She realized just then how nervous he obviously was and she smiled reassuringly at him. "It's perfect."

They ate and listened to the stereo in companionable silence, giving each other quick smiles between bites. Once she was full she sat back and gasped quietly as she noticed that from their spot they had a clear view of the sky that glittered with stars. Dean placed everything back in the basket and set it aside and she gazed up at the winking stars.

Dean got to his feet and held out a hand for her and she looked at him, puzzled, but allowed him to pull her to her feet. Once he had, he slipped his arms around her and they started to sway.

She looked at him, her mouth hanging open slightly, "I thought you don't dance?"

"I don't," Dean replied with a lazy smile. "In front of other people. Since it's just us and the fish however…"

Buffy felt her heart melt as they danced and she felt completely weightless, everything else was a million miles away. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest and he held her tighter.

**_'All night staring at the ceiling  
>counting for minutes I've been feeling this way<br>so far away and so alone._**

**_But you know it's alright,  
>I came to my senses,<br>letting go of my defenses._**

**_There's no way I'm giving up this time  
>yeah, you know I'm right here,<br>I'm not losing you this time.  
>And I'm all in, nothing left to hide,<br>I'm falling harder than a landslide.  
>I spend a week away from you last night,<br>and now I'm calling, calling out your name._**

**_Even if I lose the game, I'm all in,  
>I'm all in tonight, yeah I'm all in, I'm all in for life.<br>There's no taking back what we've got,  
>too strong, we've had each other's back for too long.<em>**

**_There's no breaking up this time,  
>and you know it's okay, I came to my senses,<br>letting go of my defenses,  
>there's no way I'm giving up this time.<br>And I'm all in, nothing left to hide,  
>I'm falling harder than a landslide.<br>I spend a week away from you last night,  
>and now I'm calling, calling out your name.<em>**

**_Even if I lose the game, I'm all in,  
>I'm all in tonight, yeah I'm all in, I'm all in for life.'<em>**

Once the song ended, Dean and Buffy stood in place, holding onto each other and lost in the moment. His eyes searched hers and she couldn't for the life of her break his gaze, the way he watched her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world, the_ only_ woman in the world. They kissed, softly and sweetly, and she let out a little sigh when his mouth left hers and she placed her hand over his heart, feeling it thump beneath her palm.

"How am I doing? Have I made up for it yet?" He asked in a whisper, his lips brushing over her cheeks and hair as he inhaled her scent.

"More than." She whispered back and they stayed that way for a long time until she saw something out of the corner of her eye and looked up. Sure enough, another star shot across the sky and Dean looked up too.

"Did you see that?" She breathed with an awed smile and he nodded. He sat back down on the blanket and she leaned back against him as they watched the meteor shower together.

"Dean..." she began hesitantly."There's something I should tell you…"

"What is it princess?" He asked softly, tearing his gaze from the sky to look at her.

"The aspect of the demon kicked in before you left town," she said and she felt him still.

"How much did you hear?" He asked.

"A lot, everything." She winced and turned to meet his eyes. She saw fear and a little bit of worry in their depths and she reached a hand out to touch his cheek. "I know. How you feel about me. And I wanted to tell you that I feel the same."

He stared at her in amazement, and she hurried on, "It's okay if you can't say the words yet, I can wait to hear them." She finished and she saw the emotions rush like a tide through his eyes as he gazed at her.

He fought for control as he frantically searched for something, _anything,_ to say but his brain was shut off. "In the spirit of confessions, I have one of my own." He said finally and she began to pull away but he caught her wrist, holding her hand to his cheek in his. "The picnic thing wasn't my idea."

Buffy laughed and he smirked at her, "Sam's?"

"Well I told him I wanted to do something special and he suggested a picnic, I remembered this place and thought, what better place to have one?" He explained with a nonchalant shrug. "Turns out we're both liars," He smirked at her and she laughed again.

"That's okay," She answered and settled back against him. "This has been the best night I've had so tell him thank you."

"Good." Dean smiled and wrapped his arms around her and they went back to watching the meteor shower with the stereo playing in the background.


End file.
